Nationalism and Dynamics of Federal Politics in Contemporary India
Published date | 01 March 2024 |
DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00195561231204608 |
Author | Karli Srinivasulu |
Date | 01 March 2024 |
Subject Matter | Document |
Nationalism and
Dynamics of
Federal Politics in
Contemporary India*
Karli Srinivasulu1,2
Introduction
Indian politics has seen a clear centralising tendency that could have serious
implications for India’s federal character. Though centralisation was the hallmark
of the Congress party’s dominance, it was seen challenged by the regional parties
through their enhanced role in the coalitional governments at the Centre since the
1990s. What marks the present phase of centralisation is its being articulated by a
grand unitarian and homogenising narrative of Hindu nationalism. The multi-
dimensional tension between diversity and equality, one of the principal aspects
of India’s democratic journey, when informed by the logic of centralisation could
not only be seen impacting the Centre-State relations but also the political
economy of development and policy regimes across the States. Through an analy-
sis of the shift in the nationalist articulation and resultant process of centralisation
reects the challenges to and possibilities of democratic resolution of the federal
question in India.
The question of federal character of Indian State has once again come under
scanner for there is a widely shared apprehension that it is again manifesting a
centralising tendency much serious than what was witnessed earlier in Indian
politics. The symptoms of this are seen in the present political dispensation at the
Centre in terms of persona of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, style of governance,
political rhetoric, policy regime, and functioning of institutions.
Though the centralising tendencies in Indian polity apparently seem reflecting
a strong sense of déjà vu—in the fashion of ‘history repeating itself’—any sense
Document
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
70(1) 196–209, 2024
© 2023 IIPA
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/00195561231204608
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* This is a revised version of Dr K. Jayashankar Endowment Lecture delivered at Kakatiya University,
Warangal.
1 Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, India
2 Formerly Professor of Political Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Corresponding author:
Karli Srinivasulu, 2-19-79/7, Kalyanpuri, Uppal, Hyderabad 500039, Telangana, India.
E-mail: srinivasulukarli@gmail.com
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